"It has to absolutely be the biggest win for this group of young women this season," Bruno said of a team that has won 18 of 19 and earned its third appearance in the round of 16.

DePaul will play the James Madison-Texas A&M winner on Saturday in the Lincoln Regional semifinals.

Jasmine Penny added 11 points for DePaul.

BYU 80, NEBRASKA 76

LOS ANGELES » Morgan Bailey tied her career high with 18 points, Jennifer Hamson had 15 points and 14 rebounds, and the 12th-seeded Cougars (28-6) held on to beat the fourth-seeded Cornhuskers (26-7), advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA women's tournament for the first time since 2002.

Lexi Eaton added 15 points for the Cougars, who led by 17 points in the first half on the way to their second straight upset.

They defeated No. 5 seed North Carolina State in the first round at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. Next up is either Connecticut or St. Joseph's.

Tear'a Laudermill scored 22 points and Big Ten player of the year Jordan Hooper added 20 points for Nebraska, which now hosts

a regional that it won't be playing in.

NOTRE DAME REGIONAL

NOTRE DAME 84, ARIZONA STATE 67

TOLEDO, Ohio » Natalie Achonwa had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and the top-seeded Fighting Irish (34-0) pulled away in the second half for a victory over the No. 9 seeded Sun Devils (23-10).

Notre Dame led 32-26 at halftime before scoring the first six points of the second. Led by the 6-foot-3 Achonwa, the Irish outscored Arizona State 46-34 in the paint en route to its 15th consecutive double-digit victory. Deja Mann scored 16 points for Arizona State.

BAYLOR 76, CALIFORNIA 56

WACO, Texas » Odyssey Sims scored 27 points in her final home game and the No. 2-seeded Bears (31-4) advanced to their sixth consecutive NCAA Sweet 16, taking over in the second half for a victory over the Golden Bears (22-10), a final four team last season.

Afure Jemerigbe had 17 points for Cal.

Baylor has a rematch with Kentucky (26-8) on Saturday in South Bend, Ind.

Goss went 11-for-12 from the foul line as Kentucky ground out a victory two days after beating Wright State by 46 points.

Syracuse couldn't follow up its first-ever NCAA tournament win, struggling to score after losing star guard Brittney Sykes to a right knee injury on Saturday. Brianna Butler had 15 points for the Orange.

OKLAHOMA STATE 73, PURDUE 66

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. » Brittney Martin had 20 points and 20 rebounds to lead the fifth-seeded Cowgirls (25-8) past the fourth-seeded Boilermakers (22-9).

Oklahoma State will face top-seeded Notre Dame on Saturday in South Bend, Ind.

Purdue was led by Whitney Bays with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

STANFORD REGIONAL

STANFORD 63, FLORIDA STATE 44

AMES, Iowa » Chiney Ogwumike had 19 points and nine rebounds, and the second-seeded Cardinal (31-3) broke open the game with a 30-2 run spanning the halves in a victory over the 10th-seeded Seminoles (21-12).

Stanford advanced to the Sweet 16 for the seventh year in a row and will host the upcoming regional at Maples Pavilion.

(29-5) used their smothering defense to whip the Red Storm (23-11) and win for the 15th time in 16 games. Aliyyah Handford scored 23 for St. John's.

NIT MEN

FLORIDA STATE 101, GEORGETOWN 90

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. » Aaron Thomas matched a career-high with 26 points as the top-seeded Seminoles (21-13) advanced to the NIT quarterfinals with a victory over the Hoyas (18-15).

Florida State will host third-seeded Louisiana Tech on Wednesday night.

SMU 80, LSU 67

DALLAS » Nic Moore and Nick Russell each scored 16 points as the Mustangs (25-9) rallied from a 10-point first-half deficit to advance to the third round of the NIT with a victory over the Tigers (20-14).

By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the TERMS OF SERVICE. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. Because only subscribers are allowed to comment, we have your personal information and are able to contact you. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. To report comments that you believe do not follow our guidelines, email commentfeedback@staradvertiser.com.